Did you know your weekly wash could be silently costing up to £75 a year?
A recent survey commissioned by energy experts, Uswitch, has uncovered the most common energy-wasting habits - many of which occur every time you do a laundry load.
The biggest culprits for energy waste when running a laundry load are:
|
Laundry habit |
Percentage of households that do this |
Annual cost per household |
|---|---|---|
|
Run the washing machine cycle on 40 °C or higher |
71% |
£19 |
|
Run the washing machine when it's not full |
53% |
£8 |
|
Run the tumble dryer when it's not full |
52% |
£18 |
|
Run the tumble dryer when it's a hot day outside |
42% |
£30 |
Source: Uswitch Energy
To help keep bills low when the laundry load builds up, energy expert Ben Gallizzi from Uswitch shares his top tips:
-
Where possible, use a cold water or 30°C cycle. You can occasionally use hot water washes if you mainly use low temperatures, as this will help to get rid of bacteria and prevent odours from building up in your machine.
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Wash clothes on the shortest practical cycle. This uses less water, which is heated to a lower temperature, saving both water and energy. This cycle may also cause less damage to delicate items of clothing.
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Wait for a full load. A full basket is a more efficient use of a cycle; however, don't overload the washing machine as the wash won't be as effective, potentially leading to re-washing and wasting energy.
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Pre-treat and soak. Treat stains as soon as possible and soak heavily soiled items before washing. This helps to remove tough marks and avoids repeating a wash for stains that didn't come out.
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Use a high spin speed. Using a high spin to finish can help ensure your clothes are coming out of your washing machine almost dry, to cut drying time later.
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Keep your tumble dryer in a warm room. Storing it in a cold room means that it will take longer to heat up to the desired temperature needed to dry your clothes efficiently.
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Do your drying in one day. Use the residual heat left in the dryer and take advantage of the heat that is built up by trying to do multiple loads one after another.
